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Vizio Responds to Data Collection Allegations

When I heard the news about Vizio being fined for collecting and selling consumer's viewing data, I was not surprised. We live in an increasingly connected world and I bet we see more of these stories reported.

Today, I read the company's response to the data collection allegations. From TWICE, here's portion of the Vizio press release.

“Vizio is pleased to reach this resolution with the FTC and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Going forward, this resolution sets a new standard for best industry privacy practices for the collection and analysis of data collected from today’s internet-connected televisions and other home devices,” stated Jerry Huang, Vizio general counsel. “The ACR program never paired viewing data with personally identifiable information such as name or contact information, and the Commission did not allege or contend otherwise. Instead, as the cComplaint notes, the practices challenged by the government related only to the use of viewing data in the ‘aggregate’ to create summary reports measuring viewing audiences or behaviors.”

“Today, the FTC has made clear that all smart TV makers should get people’s consent before collecting and sharing television viewing information and Vizio now is leading the way,” added Huang.

If it's true that the company did not collect and sell anything that ties your viewing to your identity, does this really make it ok?